All posts tagged Jeep

NEW DELHI—Italian auto maker Fiat SpA is planning a major product offensive in India, introducing brands including Chrysler’s Jeep and Dodge, as it attempts to catch up with well-entrenched players such as Suzuki Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp.

“We are analyzing the brand portfolio to find out which [models] can be suitable for the Indian market,” said Enrico Atanasio, who heads commercial operations at Fiat India Automobiles Ltd. “There are all possibilities. Be it Alfa Romeo, Fiat Commercial or Chrysler” as well as light commercial vehicles, he said in a recent interview.

Chrysler Group is recalling certain Jeep Wrangler sport-utility vehicles from the 2010 model year to fix a problem that could lead to fires.

The car maker said the recall includes 67,872 vehicles that were built with automatic transmissions. On these Jeeps, the skid plate that protects the transmission is also close to the exhaust system’s catalytic converter. Debris can collect around the skid plate and, heat from the converter can cause it to catch fire.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is investigating complaints about engine-compartment fires in certain Chevrolet Cruze compact cars from the 2011 model year and Jeep Wrangler SUVs from the 2010.

The agency said its Office of Defects Investigation, or ODI, received two such complaints about the Cruze within the last month. In both cases the complaints allege the fires were so large that they destroyed the vehicles. ODI said it also has additional information from field reports related to the alleged flaw.

Chrysler Group LLC is releasing a quartet of television spots that continue the “Halftime in America” theme it began with a pep-talk ad featuring the actor Clint Eastwood that ran during Super Bowl XLVI. The car maker said it designed the ads in part to inspire and encourage people who may be going through difficult times.

The company said the spots stem from “stories we’ve heard from people across the country, showing the things they are doing every day to move forward and win their own second half.” Each Chrysler brand gets its own commercial, which is meant to explore the basic defining traits of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram nameplates.

Chrysler Group LLC will soon start construction on one of the most unlikely plants in the company’s 86-year history.

Located in St. Petersburg, Russia, not far from the former summer palace of the czars, the factory will make Jeeps, the four-wheel drive vehicles made famous by the U.S. Army in World War II. The driving force behind the deal? Not Chrysler itself, but Italy’s Fiat SpA, the U.S. auto maker’s majority owner.

April 30 marks the three-year anniversary of Chrysler’s rescue by the U.S. government, an endeavor that many expected the auto maker would be unable to survive.

Today, the plan to build a plant in Russia stands as a symbol of how far Chrysler has come—and of the new auto maker that Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne is trying to create.

Jeep will debut six niche models at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah which starts Saturday. The safari gives Chrysler a chance to test the latest cutting edge designs that could one day be melded into production models.

The models include:

The Jeep Mighty FC Concept, a truck-like Jeep built using a variety of Wrangler-based parts. The truck features a 39-inch tires and has a quasi-military look with the body paint. Jeep originally built the Forward Control from 1956 through 1965.

Jeep said it plans to unveil a concept vehicle called the J-12 that takes some of its styling from 1960s-era models like the original Wagoneer. The truck is one of a group the Chrysler Group LLC unit plans to show during its annual Easter Jeep Safari from March 31 to April 8 in Moab, Utah.

Jeep said it collaborated with Chrysler’s Mopar parts and performance division to build the small concept fleet, which includes the J-12, Mighty FC, Wrangler Apache and three others. The company said it will release more information about the vehicles later this month.

Chrysler Group LLC is recalling certain Jeep Liberty vehicles from the 2004 and 2005 model years because of severe corrosion that could cause their rear lower control arms to break.

The recall includes 209,724 vehicles.

In a document filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the car maker said it built the affected Jeeps from July 3, 2003, through July 14, 2005. They were originally sold in, or are now registered a group of states sometimes referred to as the salt belt.

Safety officials have ramped up their investigation of 2002 and 2003 Jeep Liberty SUVs because of reports that the vehicles’ airbags may suddenly inflate when there has been no collision.

The agency said it has received 87 reports of inadvertent airbag deployments that resulted in 50 alleged injuries. Injuries included cuts, bruises and burns to the upper body.

In 42 cases, the driver-side front airbag deployed unexpectedly and in 45 incidents both the driver and front passenger bags inflated without a crash. Sometimes the problem occurred as the vehicles were started. In other cases the bags reportedly deployed as Jeeps were driven on the road.

Chrysler is adding some ‘buzz’ to its Jeep Grand Cherokee portfolio with a limited edition, stealthier version of the sport-utility vehicle due to hit showrooms later this year. Car nuts can also get in the game since Chrysler is turning to the public for help in picking a name.

A concept of the vehicle – unveiled Wednesday at the Houston Auto Show – sports a “blacked-out” look with the exterior, chrome and front grille mesh all done in black. The vehicle features 20 –inch tires and one-of-a kind black gloss aluminum wheels. A deep cherry red version will be displayed at the Washington D.C. Auto Show Thursday.